Omaha daily bee., 1887-10-24

| Openeu the EngllSnulHn palu LOT MS IOr'
wardness by seeing his goods dumped
and left for him to care for. There was
no complaint. To complain means to
detain, for the Russian officers are as
| suspicious as they are oflcious. All
! stand in together, and they have such
| unlimited license that one is ut their
mercy.
II nothing Objectionable is found in
| the printed matter it Is returned to the
owner. The examination of baggage
progresses. tried TO anticipate the Of
icers rs much as possible, and having
left my trunk in Paris, eagerly opened
my sachels. The pockets OF my gar
ments were turned wrong side out, let
| ters were squeezed, u travelling cap
ditto and socks, which were turned in
together, were pulled out and looked
into.
Here he encountered
| MONEY CHANGERS,
who were evidently direct lineal do.
scendants of those who were cast out OF
the temple ut Jerusalem during the
time Of our Redeemer. l had seen
money changers Mt other frontier places,
but none like these. No sooner had /
emerged from the customs rooms to the
adjoining restaurant for cup of the
famous Russian tea, than the brace OF
money changers approached me. Both
above six feet in height, they wore black
robes which came to their feet, and
black crowns, giving them an ecclesias.
| tical appearance. One was probably
seventy years old, while the other
was pushing three score and ten. Both
wore the patriarchal beard-one full
white, the other rs densely black as II
was long. They were inseperable, and
/ lx.1.,, IL IL, L. r.
tending foreheads and their large, sim
full mouths trembled and onivered
under the great beaked noses, as they
simply extended their hands well filled
with paper roubles and chuckled in So
licitation. Fortunately / had procured
Il sut1iciency OF Russian money of my
banker at Vienna and did not suffer the
discount of from TO s per cent at the
hands of the money-changcrs, who fre-
| quently rob the unsophisticated traveller
to an alarming extent.
| Trains entering or emerging from
Russia do not pretend TO respect their
time-card, for the reason that they are
often detained on the frontier.
Two hours are always taken, however,
being the time required for examining
baggage and passports, long or short
On this occasion the train was light and
| the baggage was soon inspected.
| But the passengers were not per-
mitted to resume their place in the
train. AS soon as they escaped tho GUS
toms officers they were led into the ad-
joining restaurant, men, women and
children where were all classes of people
in every condition. All outer doors
were locked and were guarded by off,
GERS. Timid, delicate women hovered
in the corners and waited for the end of
the two hours, while half-intoxicated
Russians crowded about, smoking nasty
cigars or drinking steaming tea at the
tables. In all the multitude OF Greeks,
Slavs, Persians, Swedes, Russians, Ger
mans, not an English voice was heard;
I and seldom did one see man who could
interpret even a sign. The women were
more ready and bright and OWNED tho
wishes of travellers more readily.
Finally q Russian rushed like mad
from the station and began ringing a
bell. There was commotion inside.
The bell ringer moved up and down the
long platform and mado much unneces-
sary noise. The doors were unlocked
and the passengers passed out, an Off
Ger being ready to see that each parcel
bore the stamp Of the custom house.
An hour and a half of unnecessary, dis
agreeable waiting made one appreciate
the chilly Atmosphere, even in August.
Just before the train started a jingle Of
spurs and sabers was heard, and two
carriages and handed out the passports.
Each passport bore simple and short
signature-that OF the consul or gover-
nor-and the seal of the officer. Two or
three passengers did not receive their
passports because the documents were
not vised, and they were obliged to re.
main and explain.
AS tho train rolled on from the from
tier toward
| WARSAW AND ST. PETERSBURG
the proverb, 'The gates of Russia are
those who would 60 out" fingered in
my mind as 1t recounted the scene be-
hind me. The American voyageur Ia
quite as much impressed with the
quaintness of the country and the re-
markable character of the people when
he arrives at Cracow or Warsaw (the
latter the old capital of Poland), now
the subject of Russia, rs he is with any
other part of the country. The charac-
teristics of the Poles, so far as the con-
struction of city goes, are as far at
as those of the Russians. Strange old
buildings, covered with crazy charao
ters and pictures, broad, roughly
bouldered streets, filled with drOskies
the prevalent vehicle, and the most,
remarkable gibboring by the people,
make one feel that anything is possible
in this country.
The face of Russia is like Wisconsin,
less the lakes and beautiful streams;
northern Michigan, without the largest
pine trees, and New Mexico, with the
absence of warmth. The pineries are
stunted, the fields covered with wheat
in harvest during August-and the viii
lagos are of small wooden buildings,
covered with straw. Nowhere is there
architecture, taste or cleanliness dis
played, while everywhere may be seen
barbarians, traces OF ignorance and
downright brutality. Tho ad-
vancement OF the country may
be illustrated in the statement
that, though Russia is one of the great
est in wheat producing. the cereal is
sown broadcast, harvested with the
sickle, threshed with the fail, and
three-fourths OF the work is done by the
women. The forests are infested with
wolves and other wild animals; the
fields when not covered with wheat are
carpeted with Jean-Marie, with ayellow
L Al